Accelerator



May 22, 1934. SMELZER 1,959,881

ACCELERATOR Filed May 27, 1933 Mam WM A rrae/vsv duction of-an apcelerator for Patented May 22, 1934 ACCELERATOR Homer B. Smeltzer, St. Louis, Mo.

Application May 27, 1933, Serial No.

5 Claims.

among its objects the promotor vehicles, so as to enable the operator of the vehicle to drive with greater ease,-e'specia1ly through heavy trafiic, and at the same time with increased safety while so driving.

A principalobject of my invention is to provide an accelerator mo ted on the gear shift lever of the motor vehicle so that the operator may manually control said accelerator with the same handand at the same time as manipulating said lever. I

A further object *"The invention has of my invention is to provide an-accelerator of the-kind described, and so positioned, that permits of resting the foot and leg from their usual position on .the foot-controlled accelerator whenever desired, andmost especially so during long drives. A further advantage of such an accelerator is that starting-of the car is more easily accomplished than by manipulation of the foot accelerator.

Other objects of my invention include the production of a device of the kind described, which will be neat and attractive in appearance, easily installed and operated, simple in construction, reliable, efiicient and satisfactory for use wherever deemed applicable.

Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, from the disclosures herein given.

To this end, my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and the uses mentioned, as will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the views,

Figure l is a vertical side elevational view, showing my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the same, with a cover plate of the casing removed; and

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein I have illustrated one of the preferred embodiments of my invention, there is shown a fragmentary portion of a motor vehicle of any size, shape or construction, the same not forming a part of my invention, and customarily provided with a carburetor l for feeding the fuel to the engine intake, said carburetor having its throttle valve or butterfly valve 2 for controlling the acceleration of the engine during operation of the vehicle engine.

This acceleration is generally provided by means of a foot-operated mechanism 3 connected operatively to the accelerator valve 2 through suitable link-work and valve-operating rod 4, a retractile element 5 retrieving the rod to close the valve whenever the pressure is released from the foot pedal 3. The gear shifting is accomplished through means of the gear shift lever or handle 6, terminating in some easily grasped portion, such as the knob 7.

When driving over long periods of time, the maintaining of the foot accelerator pedal quite often causes the leg and foot operating the same, to become cramped or otherwise become uncomfortable, and it therefore becomes desirable to rest said parts of the body under these conditions' The dash-board throttle is not flexible enough to serve the same purposes as the foot pedal, inasmuch as it is out of convenient reach from normal driving position, and further that the same must be actuated by hand to either accelerate or decelerate, while the foot accelerator returns to inoperative position when the operative pressure is released therefrom.

In order to overcome these difficulties, and to gain other advantages as will be more particularly set forth hereinafter, I have provided handcontrclled means preferably placed on the gear shift lever itself, and adjacent the top of the latter, so as to be easily engageable and operable by the same hand as that engaging the shift lever and simultaneously therewith, to accelerate the vehicle during operation of the same.

In the drawing there is shown a preferred form of this device, the same being neat and not interfering with the interior design of the vehicle, nor detracting in any way from the appearance or operation of the same. The device consists of a casing 8, relatively small in thickness and diameter, as for example, a convenient size has been found to be about or thickness and about 2 diameter, this casing being either a separate unit to be positioned upon the shift lever 6 of the vehicle, or if desired this chamber or opening may be formed either in the knob 7 or in an enlargement in the lever itself, as may be determined from the circumstances.

An opening is provided through the bottom of the casing 8 and through which projects a length of tubing 9 forming a sleeve for a length of steel wire or other flexible element 10, there being a flexible tubing 11,

for the element 10 during the major portion of its length.

The forward end of said element 10 is fastened to the valve means of the carbureter, as by clamping to the rod 4- at 12, well within the body of the vehicle, as by extending said tubing 11, with the wire 10 therein, through an opening located adjacent the base of the dashboard, somewhat as is shown.

A short lever 13 is arranged within said casing, one end of the same being hinged or pivoted thereto as at 14, and to the other end of which is secured the adjacent end of the steel cable or wire 10. A second lever 15 is pivoted intermediate its ends to said casing 8, one portion of said lever 15 extending through and into said casing and the other end preferably extending at an angle thereto and outwardly of the casing and terminating closely adjacent the knob 7, the outermost portion 16 of said lever 15 preferably having an enlarged and rounded head to conform more closely to the knob 7. Obviously, the portions 7 and 16 are positioned in such close proximity that both may be grasped simultaneously 1 with the same hand by the operator of the vehicle during the normal operation of the same.

-A roller may be rotatably mounted at the inner free end of the lever 15, as at 17, to rotatably and slidably engage the under side edge of the lever 13 and actuate the latter as the control lever 15 is tilted. sufficiently strong leverage will thus be had, in this compound type of lever, and with an accuracy and certainty of feed of fuel .to the engine.

The device thus described is quite easily and handily manipulated by the same hand handling the shift lever, during the normal operation of the vehicle, and without removal of said hand therefrom, promotes safety of car operation in that it enables the foot to be kept on the brake pedal while going through heavy trafiic, and all the while feeding gas in the required manner so as not to stall the car. Further, this construction makes the starting of the vehicle very easy, especially when it has been stopped in the middle.

of a hill'or the like, while going up-grade.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial changes may be made in the same without affecting the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood 'as limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement, construction, and combination of parts herein shown and described, except as limited by the state of the art to which thisinvention appertains, and the claims hereto appended. What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a motor vehicle, in combination, a car- -throttle valve, control means therefor and comelement connected between latter and. second lever together.

said element in said position.

2. In a motor vehicle, in combination with the prising a movable lever pivoted at one end, a flexible element operably connected between the other end of said=lever and said valve to transmit. movement therebetween, and a control lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends and slidablyxengageable at-one end withsaid first lever to operably; control themovernent of the latter.

3..In.a.motor vehicle-in combinationwith the throttle valve ofhtheucarburetor, control means for operating thesame, and comprising a lever? pivoted to a fixed element at one end, a flexible the other end of said and said valve to actuate the latter, a conlever pivotally mounted intermediate its lever trol ends .to said fixed element,,and a roller at the2i free end of .said control lever and slidably and rotatably engageable with said first lever toactuate the. latter.

l. In a motor vehicle, in combinatiomgas-feeding means, a gearishifter, ,and meanson the lat-E3 ter for manually controlling the gas-feeding means. and comprising a casing on said shifter, a lever therein, a flexible element having; itsends secured'tosaid lever and gas-feeding means, and

asecond lever pivoted;,to said casing and having'i 15 one end slidably engageable with the first lever to actuatethe latter, the other end of said second lever being .adjacentthe-top of said ,gear Shift lever sothat'the handmayop ra ly n a th 5. IncombinatiOn, a, casingon the gear shift handle of a motor vehicle, a lever having one end -;piv0ted to;.said .casinaan element connecting the other .end of said. lever tothe valve-operating :means of said vehicleforactuating the latter37 pivoted intermediate itsends with one ,end slidably engagto pivotally actuate thelatter,

and acontrol lever to said casing and ing said first lever .rthe otherend of, saidcontrol lever terminating adjacent the topof said gear ishift handle tc'ii be engaged simultaneously therewith during operation of the vehicle.

. HOMER, B. ,SMELTZER. 

